June 4, 2000

FACT SHEET

                              THE WHITE HOUSE

                       Office of the Press Secretary
                                  (Moscow, Russia)
For Immediate Release                                   June 4, 2000


                                FACT SHEET

                   Expanded Threat Reduction Initiative

President Clinton proposed the Expanded Threat Reduction Initiative (ETRI)
in January 1999, which significantly increased funding for cooperation with
Russia, Ukraine and other New Independent States (NIS) to prevent
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the materials to make
them.  The August 1998 economic crisis in Russia and related regional
economic turmoil jeopardized efforts to reduce weapons to desired levels,
impoverished weapons scientists, increased temptations for illicit
trafficking and created new obstacles to military downsizing.

Progress in Bilateral Assistance
Over the past year, ETRI has provided a solid framework for expanding and
coordinating bilateral and international threat reduction assistance
efforts in Russia and the NIS.  For Fiscal Year (FY) 2000, there is an
estimated $888 million available for Departments of Defense, Energy and
State high priority security programs in the NIS under ETRI in four
priority areas:

1) Nuclear Security -- deactivating and dismantling former Soviet strategic
weapons and ensuring the security of Russian nuclear materials;
2) Chemical and Biological Weapons -- redirecting former Soviet biological
and chemical weapons activities to civilian purposes as well as chemical
weapons destruction;
3) Science and Technology Nonproliferation -- engaging former Soviet
weapons scientists in peaceful, collaborative research; and
4) Military Relocation and Other Security Cooperation - helping  facilitate
withdrawals of Russian military forces and equipment from Georgia and
Moldova.

The Administration is seeking increases for ETRI and related activities in
2001 with a total request of $974 million.

Progress in Multilateral Assistance
The United States is urging other nations to increase their NIS security
assistance.  At the Cologne Summit in June 1999, the G-8 committed to
increase threat reduction assistance for Russia and other NIS.

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